Whisky Advocate Distillery of the Year?

Putting aside what one might think of Diageo in general they are a multinational beverage company and not a distiller as I would be inclined to define them. I get what the article was saying but would still like to see the pick be a single true distillery and not a corporate entity that runs multiple distilleries.

Perhaps John will stop by at some point and offer some insight.

That yella whiskey runnin' down my throat like honey dew vine water and I took another slash…

Re: Whisky Advocate Distillery of the Year?

It's Christmas, so I'm not going to dwell too long here except to make three points:

The category is "Distiller," not "Distillery." Last year we picked William Grant. Same rules.

Our justification is in our write-up. I know everyone loves to hate Diageo, but they are doing some great things, both in the short term and long- term.

Merry Christmas to my friends at SB.com.

John

Mea culpa for calling it distillery and not distiller. That said, and I did read the Article with interest, my personal sense of a distiller still doesn't match up with Diageo (or William Grant for that matter!).

Seems me like it should be corporation (or conglomerate as mentioned above!) of the year and Distiller of the year should be, for lack of a better definition an actual distillery (working in a actual distillery).

But I acknowledge they aren't my rules and I suppose if I want to make the rules I should have my own blog and work had for many years to build the kind of recognition John has the industry! For which he is to be commended.

And that ain't happening!

That yella whiskey runnin' down my throat like honey dew vine water and I took another slash…

Re: Whisky Advocate Distillery of the Year?

I'm not emotional about it either way, but when I saw Diageo given Distiller of the Year, it lowered my interest in the contents of the article and lowered my respect for Whisky Advocate regardless of their justification.

Rational thought would not consider Diageo a distiller or a distillery; they oversee business decisions for operations they own, most of which are distilleries. According to the title of their own web site, Diageo is (a) "Consumer goods companies with portfolio of world-famous drinks brands." Sazerac is the same way, according to http://www.sazerac.com/company.aspx, Sazerac is "an independent, American family owned company and proud owners of many of America's most venerable distilling companies - Buffalo Trace Distillery, A. Smith Bowman, Glenmore Distillery, Barton, Fleischmann, Medley and Mr. Boston."

Sazerac is a company, owner of distillery x, y and z. Diageo is a company, owner of distillery x, y and z (and winery x, y, z and brewery x, y and z).

Maybe Diageo deserves recognition for their contributions to the world of whisky, but as a reader it's not this award. Give the Distiller of the Year to a distillery, the process and people who actually distill whisky. It doesn't make sense any other way.

Re: Whisky Advocate Distillery of the Year?

I agree with John on this one - just because they are a conglomerate or large, doesn't mean they shouldn't be considered. They manage a considerable amount of the whisk(e)y production in the world, and put out a broad quality range at many price points, and are investing for the long-term providing stability to distilleries that may have long gone bust. I think a good case is made in the article.